Predictions Anyone? | Ole Miss Sports

ESPN annointed Alabama the winner in this game immediately after the Tide’s big win over Florida while Texas struggled to beat Nebraska in the respective league championship games.

Nick Saban, clearly enjoying the opportunity to speak live with television analysts, questioned why they would do such a thing. “Why does it always have to be a David and Goliath thing?” he asked. “Why can’t it just be two good football teams?”

I think there are two good football teams going tonight, but I think Alabama’s is better.

The Texas defense is better than it was a year ago, but Texas A&M showed the Longhorns are vulnerable to a big, athletic quarterback. That’s not what Alabama has in Greg McElroy, but the Tide has an awfully good player at tailback in Mark Ingram.

McElroy will play under control, and the Tide will find a way to utilize Ingram against the nation’s No. 1 rushing defense.

The Alabama run game, 12th nationally, against the Texas defense is a matchup of strength against strength.

It’s not that way for the Texas offense, 55th running the football, against the Alabama defense, which is No. 2 against the run.

If Texas is going to win it will have to come up with something in the run game so the Tide can’t just pin its ears back against QB Colt McCoy.

For what it’s worth, the SEC is 5-0 in the BCS title game including wins in the last three.

Alabama 19, Texas 16

How bout that GMAC Bowl last night? It was one of the more entertaining finishes of the bowl season, but I stand by my belief that playing this game on Jan. 5 takes away from the status of a January bowl game. Part of the excitement of “bowl week” is all the run-up of the minor games before the big day … the big day which is now followed by a couple of big BCS games. Could have played this one at halftime of tonight’s game.